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Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood – Boca Raton Home Page

Blessed with a semi-tropical climate and outstanding cultural and recreational opportunities, Ft Lauderdale is indeed a great place to live, work, play and raise a family.
Ft Lauderdale offers a vibrant business environment, good jobs and a great quality of life.

From Fortune 500 companies to small Art galleries, Ft Lauderdale is one of the fastest growing areas in Florida. It is also home to a largely upscale, diverse, multiethnic population that helps create its cosmopolitan, international flavor. Its own major international airport connects it to the world. If you never went anywhere else in Florida, Ft. Lauderdale would suffice – it’s that good!

“The Venice of America”
More than 300 miles of navigable inland waterways wind through Ft Lauderdale, accommodating boats of all sizes. Lots of sun and great weather. Take a water taxi, bus service downtown to shop or your favorite restaurant. For schedules and stops go to http://www.watertaxi.com/FortLauderdale/FLLMap.Asp

Ft. Lauderdale is also frequently regarded as the yachting capital of America, at least the East Coast USA variety. It’s a boating “jumping-off” place for cruising the Bahamas, as well as the fabulous American Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), which you can take through protected inland water, all the way to the Keys or the Carolinas.

The Hinterlands
Nobody really thinks about a Ft. Lauderdale “backcountry,” but there is one: the fabulous Everglades National Park. The Park and the preserve areas north of it provide opportunities for hiking, biking, airboating, and driving adventures. There are even Indian reservations and casinos! And while Miami probably wouldn’t be regarded as a hinterland (!), it is if we’re talking about Ft. Lauderdale. Miami complements Ft. Lauderdale’s own impressive list of cultural and nightlife offerings, and adds the dimension of major league professional sports with the NBA football and MLB baseball. Finally, the Florida Keys and Key West are an easy drive south.

General Information.

Located in the east-central portion of Broward County, 23 miles north of Miami and 42 miles south of Palm Beach. Fort Lauderdale is the seventh largest city in Florida
Area in Square Miles 1285
Average Temperature 76°F
Average Annual Precipitation 53 in
Average Rain Days 131
Population projection 2005 -1,793,500
Average home cost-June 2005-$378,000
Cost of Living-103-3rd in the state
Median age-25-44 years old or approximately 1/3 the population
Major Employment by Industry in order of numbers

Education, Health, Social Services
Retail Trade
Administrative, Waste Management Services
Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Accommodation, Food Services
Professional, Scientific, Management, Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing
Construction
Manufacturing
So, if you’re interested in life in a Metropolitan area mixed in with great weather, and you like the outdoors, you should check out Ft Lauderdale.

For specifics in general categories please see the links to the left. See the google map to the upper right.

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St Petersburg
ST Pete is located just south of Tampa on Tampa Bay. It is 245 miles northwest of Miami, 96 miles southwest of Orlando and 250 miles south of Tallahassee. Like Clearwater, any location in the state is less than a days drive.

St Pete, is the state’s fourth largest city. It’s a fast growing center of commerce and is aligned with the fast-growing Tampa Bay metropolitan area, which is currently (2005) the largest market in the state.
St. Petersburg has changed from being primarily a retirement center to Hi tech. This change has brought the median age down to 38 and is reflected in the new revitalized downtown areas both in the architecture and the restaurants and shopping facilities. It still does retain historic quality however.
St Pete is still a great to raise a family.
Some stats:

It has 35 miles of pristine beaches (with 360 days of sunshine),
345 miles of coastline,
102 municipal parks,
37 miles of dedicated trails
(Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area includes the counties of Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas)
Population: 2.6 million
The population is over 250,000
The median age is 38.
The St Pete and Tampa bay area enjoys an average of 361 days of sunshine a year.
Two of the top ten rated beaches in the nation are located here
Employment by industry (Pinellas County)

Construction 5.0%
Education & Health Services 19.1%
Financial Activities 7.4%
Information 2.5%
Leisure & Hospitality 9.9%
Manufacturing 8.6%
Natural Resources & Mining 0.1%
Other Services 3.2%
Professional & Business Services 21.4%
Public administration 4.9% 6.1%
Trade, Transportation and Utilities 17.8%
As of Sept 2005, per an MLS search, the least expensive 2/2 was $72,000 in St Pete for a manufactured home. In St Pete Beach, the least expensive home was $374,000

Average Annual Wage (2003)

All Industries $35,000
Cost of Living as of 2004(Pinellas county)

Total 103.74
See comparable Florida statewide CGI’s below:

Monroe 112.43
Dade 106.28
Broward 15.80
Pinellas 103.74
Sarasota 102.90
Palm Beach 102.69
Collier 100.99
Hillsborough 100.86
Seminole 99.48
Manatee 99.22
St. Johns 99.18
Orange 99.04
Brevard 97.92
Lee 97.80
(Population Weighted-State Average=100 National comparisons Cost of living (100 = nationwide average)

New York, NY 364
Long Beach, NY 340
Palo Alto, CA 268
Menlo Park, CA 265
Los Altos, CA 261
Saratoga, CA 261
Boston, MA 240
Malibu, CA 233
San Francisco, CA 217
Greenwich, CT 215
Cambridge, MA 211
Santa Monica, CA 197
Keystone, CO 194
San Rafael, CA 192
Weston, CT 192
Darien, CT 192
Wellesley, MA 192
Fort Lee, NJ 189
Arlington, VA 184
Honolulu, HI 184
Washington, DC 181
Princeton, NJ 180
Vail, CO 178
Chicago, IL 166
Sunnyvale, CA 164
San Mateo, CA 163
Marathon, FL 161
Ridgewood, NJ 159
Mystic, CT 159
For a complete list go to http://verticals.yahoo.com/cities/categories/costofliving.html
Business and employment outlook

St. Petersburg is located at the heart of the most desirable business location in the country. It is ranked second overall among the fastest growing high tech areas in the country.

Employment-search St Pete jobs:http://www.nationjob.com/stpete/
Transportation

Interstate 75 leads from points both north and south in Florida to the Tampa Bay area. From Orlando, I-4 connects in Tampa with I-275 southbound to St. Petersburg.
Tampa International Airport is only 30 minutes from St. Petersburg and the beaches. It is served by all major airlines. The St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport provides additional passenger service and Albert Whitted Airport in downtown St. Petersburg is a base for private aviation.
Amtrak offers passenger train service into Tampa, with bus connections to St. Petersburg, and the Greyhound bus system also links us to many northern cities.
St. Petersburg is also served by the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority which provides public transportation throughout the entire county, including the beaches
The areas health and education resources are also first class. Plus you also have the facilities in nearby Tampa.

In conclusion, St Pete and Tampa sometimes see themselves as rivals as St Pete wants to retain its identity. In that it succeeds. There are quiet neighborhoods and also downtown living. The area enjoys a good quality of life with lots of recreational opportunities.

IF you like the outdoors but yet still want big city metro opportunities, this could be the perfect place.

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Clearwater
Clearwater is located at the heart of Florida’s Gulf Coast, just West of Tampa. It is 218 miles northwest of Miami, 91 miles southwest of Orlando and 174 miles from Jacksonville. From Clearwater it is less than a day’s drive to all the major cities in Florida, including Key West.
Geographically, the county is small and its population density is the highest in the state.
Some statistics
(Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area includes the counties of Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas)

Population: 2.6 million
Clearwater population-110,000
Median age: 41.8
Average annual rainfall is 49 inches.
Average annual temperature is 73 degrees Fahrenheit.
In January, the average low is 50.1; in July the average high is 90.4
35 miles of beaches
Employment by industry (Pinellas County)

Construction 5.0%
Education & Health Services 19.1%
Financial Activities 7.4%
Information 2.5%
Leisure & Hospitality 9.9%
Manufacturing 8.6%
Natural Resources & Mining 0.1%
Other Services 3.2%
Professional & Business Services 21.4%
Public administration 4.9% 6.1%
Trade, Transportation and Utilities 17.8%
Average Annual Wage (2003)

All Industries $33,129
Cost of Living as of 2004

Total 103.74
See comparable Florida statewide CGI’s below:

Monroe 112.43
Dade 106.28
Broward 15.80
Pinellas 103.74
Sarasota 102.90
Palm Beach 102.69
Collier 100.99
Hillsborough 100.86
Seminole 99.48
Manatee 99.22
St. Johns 99.18
Orange 99.04
Brevard 97.92
Lee 97.80
(Population Weighted-State Average=100
National comparisons
Cost of living (100 = nationwide average)

New York, NY 364
Long Beach, NY 340
Palo Alto, CA 268
Menlo Park, CA 265
Los Altos, CA 261
Saratoga, CA 261
Boston, MA 240
Malibu, CA 233
San Francisco, CA 217
Greenwich, CT 215
Cambridge, MA 211
Santa Monica, CA 197
Keystone, CO 194
San Rafael, CA 192
Weston, CT 192
Darien, CT 192
Wellesley, MA 192
Fort Lee, NJ 189
Arlington, VA 184
Honolulu, HI 184
Washington, DC 181
Princeton, NJ 180
Vail, CO 178
Chicago, IL 166
Sunnyvale, CA 164
San Mateo, CA 163
Marathon, FL 161
Ridgewood, NJ 159
Mystic, CT 159
For a complete list go to http://verticals.yahoo.com/cities/categories/costofliving.html

Economy and employment outlook
Clearwater is home to a wide range of Hi-tech industries including computer components, surgical instruments and data communication.
Clearwater is also home to more than 7,000 small businesses,
Housing information

The average cost of a typical inland dry house runs about 250K
The average cost of a typical canal house runs about
The average cost of a typical open oceanfront House? 2 million lot value and up
The average cost of a typical inland 2/1 dry condo 175K
the average cost of a typical canal condo runs 350K and up
The average cost of a typical open oceanfront condo runs 550K and up
As of Sept 2005, per an MLS search, the least expensive 2/2 was $137,900 (manufactured home)
In Clearwater Beach, the least expensive was $649,000
Transportation
Airports

Tampa International Airport (19 miles to the beach)
St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport
Orlando and Sanford International Airports is 90 minutes away.,
Miami International Airport-4 hrs away.
See Tampa transportation links.
In conclusion, if you like a fast paced lifestyle and lots of options, this could be just the place.
For more specific information about this area go to the info links at Tampa

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Tampa , Clearwater and St Petersburg

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Tampa Bay, on Florida’s central west coast on the Gulf of Mexico, is a vibrant, thriving metropolitan area of nearly 4 million people. It includes the major cities of Tampa, St Petersburg, and Clearwater. It also includes several smaller towns plus the urban unincorporated areas of Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties.

Tampa Bay is proof that Florida is not all about retirees: the median age is only about 40 for the region as a whole, and area residents offer employees a highly diverse and well educated labor force Tampa Bay is a services- and tech-driven engine of economic growth, not only for Central and South Florida, but indeed the entire State. Over 50% of Florida’s high tech industries and over 113 foreign-owned international companies call the Bay area home.

Tampa is often referred to as Wall street South and is a regional home to major banking firms like JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Depository Trust and Clearing Corp., Raymond James, MetLife, State Farm, and Progressive Insurance to name but a few. http://www.tampabay.org/subpage.asp?navid=1&id=9

Education is big here, too. Home to the University of South Florida, the University of Tampa, and some 20 other colleges, universities, and higher education learning facilities, and to several very respected K-12 school systems, the Bay area is competitive with most metropolitan areas across the United States.

Living in Tampa Bay offers an enormous range of recreational choices, too: for example, water-related outdoor activities like beaching, birding, fishing, hiking, boating, kayaking; significant arts and cultural activities and institutions; world class restaurants and night life; and a full slate of minor and major league NFL and NHL professional sports teams. Tampa offers all this in a relatively compact metropolitan area that in general is more manageable, easier to get around, and more laid back than metro East Coast Florida.

And if Tampa Bay is still not enough for you – is that even possible? – then Sarasota-Bradenton are just across the spectacular Sunshine Skyway south of the Bay, and metropolitan Orlando and Disney are just an hour and a half up Interstate 4. For a change of pace, more rural areas offer a very different kind of easy escape from the metropole: say,north to the quirky village of Tarpon Springs, founded by Greek sponge divers; to other northern quiet reaches of Pasco and Hernando counties; east to eastern Hillsborough and Polk counties; and southeast to Manatee and Hardee Counties. All these latter areas offer a mix of ponds, lakes, rivers, estuaries, and farmland, and are within easy access by a good road network.

What if I told you that all this comes with fabulous weather and an inexpensive price tag? How about an average summer temperature of 83 and an average winter low of 55 degrees? How about a cost of living of just 98.08? How about an average Real Estate home cost under $250,000?

In short, imagine big city life (restaurants-nightlife-sports-Arts and Culture) mixed in with great weather and recreational opportunities along with great job opportunities and a relatively low cost of living. If this sounds good, then you have to look hard at the Tampa area. (37,000 new jobs created here last year)

http://www.tampabay.org/subpage.asp?navid=1&id=5

General Information.

Located in the central West coast portion of Florida, 249 miles northwest of Miami, 86 mile southwest of Orlando and 190 miles south of Jacksonville.
1051 square miles ?
Average summer Temperature 90°F
Average winter temperature is 70
Average yearly temperature 74
Average Annual Precipitation 53 in
Average Rain Days 107
Population projection 2010 -1,228,000-Hillsborough county
Average home cost-June 2005-$240,000
Cost of Living- 98.08
Median age-41
Great weather and lots of sun
Major Employment By Industry

Agriculture
Mining
Construction
Manufacturing
Transportation/Utilities
Wholesale Trade
Retail Trade
Financial/Insurance/Real Estate
Services
Public administration
See the links to the left, for information on other topics.

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